Illusion d'OPTIQUE Alternatively you can download

Illusion d'OPTIQUE

Alternatively you can download the dragon as a PDF file. If you have the Adobe Acrobat reader on your computer, this may be a better option. Again, right click to download the file. This is a 244k download. Thanks to Simon Powell for creating this version.

Once you have printed the dragon out (a colour printer is best since this is a colour image) then you can cut out the dragon, fold and stick it, and you will be able to see this fantastic illusion yourself. When you print the page out, you will see that the instructions for folding the dragon are included. Please follow these instructions exactly.

The dragon is reproduced here with the permission of the American company Binary Arts, who sell a wide range of optical illusions and fun toys. One of their new products on the market is a set of animals that show the same behavious as this dragon. You can buy the Eye Foolery pack from the Grand Illusions Toy Shop.

Visit the Binary Arts web site to see the wide range of wonderful things they have on offer.

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Here is what one of our viewers has to say...

I printed the 3D dragon illusion, and found that although it works well enough by itself, placing it inside of a clear glass vase makes the illusion absolutely uncanny, apparently since the slight distortion caused by the glass makes it even more difficult for the brain to detect the true nature of the assemblage.

I placed the dragon, in its vase, upon a shelf in the kitchenette in my office this afternoon, and my coworkers and I cannot help but stare at it in amazement. We consciously know the true nature of the contrivance, and still the veracity of the illusion is unsettling.

I suspect that placement of the dragon inside of a glass fishbowl or other such thing would produce similar results.

Thank you for making the dragon available on your site! You have turned a dull weekend at the office into an exploration of the wonders of the visual centers of the brain.

Sincerely,

Jim Snider
Buffalo, New York